How in the world did a little authentic Italian pizzeria pop up opposite to Bunnings Eltham and I not see it? I drive down that street quite regularly! ha! In my defense though, Pizzeria Belli e Ribelli has only been open 1 month... Nothing to look at, still adorned with the "Heidi's Takeaway Food" sign over its door, this tiny place seats maybe 12 people (maybe), but serves up *authentic* Italian pizzas! We went 2 nights in a row, it was that good! My hubby got the Capricciosa and I had a modified version of the Contadina -- both we watched being made from scratch (dough was kneaded & rolled out in front of us) -- thin, crispy bases and fresh ingredients -- delicious! The next night we got the Rucola and Bufala pizzas, plus the desert "Pizzetta Nutella" -- again all good and fresh! To view photos & read more detail about our visits, check out my blog http://twobearsandafork.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/pizzeria-belli-e-ribelli-eltham.html

Approximate cost: $20

This is now officially my favourite pizza place. We went last year and wanted to go again, and when better than on a long holiday weekend? So we trekked down this past Saturday for lunch there. We had such an amazing first experience, that we got the same stuff again! hahah! next time, we promised each other that we'd try something new! So, my hubby got Pizza Capricciosa Nuova - -which he LOVED! he says it has THE BEST LEG HAM he's ever tasted on it! I got the Focacia (the bread there tastes soooo good!) and ate it with the Caprese Salad - which has the most unbelievable buffalo mozzarella. To die for! Hands down, D.O.C. won us over completely on our second visit.... can't wait to go again! You can read more about our first trip there here: http://twobearsandafork.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/doc-gastronomia-italiana-carlton.html

Approximate cost: $20

My husband and I went to the Vegie Bar with a friend of ours for Anzac Day lunch and it was great (as usual) I got the house salad with rice balls -- it's SO much food, wonderful flavours -- a mixture of raw, semi-cooked and cooked veg, I LOVE it and a total bargain at like $12.50! My husband got the Burrito -- which has a wonderful filling, sits atop brown rice and is served with chips, gaucamole & sour cream (you can get vegan if you want) for only $15. He ate it all up and loved it (as usual!) And our friend ordered the Bahn Mi (vietnamese styled sandwich) which had faux sliced beef (satay flavoured) and she love it. She said it was really nice! A great place to eat if you're vegetarian / vegan and at an amazing value! If you're veg or vegan and haven't tried, it's a must go for you!!!

Approximate cost: $15

My husband and I went here for my nephew's birthday last week. The restaurant itself was pretty standard in appearance nice (teenagers and young people in their TGI gear clapping and singing birthday songs). The food quality & prices though, that's where I got shocked. For a place that primarily provides 'frozen-then-deep-fry' (or frozen-then-grill) sort of food, I was surprised. Their prices are on par with some restaurants that appear in the AGFG, yet the food standard is (thousands of) miles behind! Shock shook off, we order: the nachos, the Texas Burger and the veg fajita tower. The edges of all the nachos were burnt and cheese that topped them was overcooked to the point of hardness. Other than that, they were just 'meh'. The burger looked impressive when it got to the table, but lost all it's luster when my hubby realized the bacon wasn't bacon, it was some cold piece of miscellaneous meat. Double 'meh' to that. The fajita tower looked mighty big when they brought it out, but on closer inspection, the "vegetables" provided to fill the 6 small wraps consisted of about 3 slivers of capsicum, a bunch of sliced onions and a whole lot of sliced mushrooms. Pretty poor I have to say. All in all, I feel the quality of food versus the price charged is completely mis-matched. Either up the care & quality, or drop the prices. I understand freeze & fry has it's place, but at least do it well if you're going to charge on average $25 per main meal. However, in saying all this - given how busy the place was, perhaps we just struck a one-off bad experience? Or perhaps the locals don't mind food cooked badly? I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Approximate cost: $25

We grabbed the lunch special (2-courses $20.90) from here not long ago and the food was nice. The service could have been friendlier, but perhaps that's because it was a lunch service (quiet time) and only one of 2 tables in the place. Total bill came to about $55 which was a little on the steep side given how much food actually came out, but about $15 of that was in wine. Overall, I wouldn't recommend the lunch based on the experience I had. But I'll give them a try again for a dinner service, perhaps the ambiance and service will be better :) Read my full blog about it here: http://twobearsandafork.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/narai-thai-bundoora.html

Owned & operated by the passionate power duo Michel & Elena - this trendy & delicious new pizzeria is a *must* if you're anywhere near the vicinity! We attended their grand opening night in February (2014) and it was packed! Aside from normal opening night glitches, the food was brilliant! We had Arancini balls, Caprese salad, the Formaggi pizza & the Noi pizza ... then topped it off with the strawberry pizzetta desert pizza! Combine the great atmosphere, friendly service & BRILLIANT food - this is a must-try for any foodie lover! Read my full blog about our dinner here: http://twobearsandafork.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/noi-pizzeria-preston.html

Approximate cost: $20

My inlaws have eaten at Sgt. Baker's in Doreen several times and shouted us lunch yesterday: 3 pieces grilled flake, 1 standard flake, X-large chips, potato cakes and Greek Salad. Everyone loved their fish, and their chips are FAT & CRUNCHY! Not oily - which is perfect! The potato cakes are large and are a cut above the standard type you get elsewhere (we ordered 4 and got 6 - such a nice little surprise!) . The Greek Salad was full of olives & feta (which are usually skimped at other places). Overall very nice, a pleasant experience and will go back again when in the area.

Down a long set of stairs, through a glass door, then through a black curtain, down another set of stairs... is the long narrow Izakaya Den full of patrons, music, drinks & food. You'd never know this place existed...for some reason, us Melbournians really love that! ha! We popped in here after a comedy show for Marcus Ryan at the Portland Hotel across the street. Just a drink each and 4 small dishes: the tuna, fried chicken, corn, and peppers. Not being a meat eater, the rest of my party exclaimed over how amazing the tuna was, and my hubby really loved the fried chicken pieces. But I must say, from what I had veg-wise, the cornball things were just corn, in a ball, held together with some mysterious non-flavoured thing. It definitely needed (even just a little) spice or perhaps a dip to go with it. It's probably really good when eaten with meat, but nothing special at all when eaten alone. The peppers were exactly the same as the corn - just peppers. No definitive flavour, and again, probably meant to be eaten with meat and not on its own. In sum, if you're a meat eater (and you like raw tuna) - then this place is a must. If your a vegetarian, you might have to hunt around the menu a bit more to find something with a bit of flavour.

We had some drinks & nibbles here before a comedy show we were going to upstairs at the Portland Hotel. At the start, it took longer than one would expect to be seated ... we stood at one of the entrances for several minutes, then another set of people came in through the street door and got seated right away before us. I must admit though, after that - the service was much more prompt and engaging. The food was pretty standard pub food, it was just dressed up a little better than most. We had the dips & bread (okay), onion rings (average), fries (okay), and chicken wings (okay). The ales were pretty good, the wine was good. The place was packed & pumpin' by the time we left (at about 6.50pm) to be seated for the comedy show. This place is supposed to have the best parma, but none of us ordered it - so can't comment there. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but if you're meeting friends before a show nearby, it's a decent place to meet up and chat :)

Hip & trendy refurbed gastro-pub serving delicious Latin American & Mexican fare. The atmosphere is relaxed yet high-end, the food is exactly the same. We went there in February 2014 with our friends and got the SoCal Spread ($55/head) deal which is a bargain price given the massive amount of food you get served!! This is a fantastic spot to catchup with friend, the service is fast & friendly. Highly recommend! Check out more detail in my blog here: http://twobearsandafork.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/newmarket-hotel-st-kilda.html